CHENNAI: CD Gopinath - The last surviving member who was part of India's first ever test win passed away at the age of 96 here on Thursday. He was part of the Indian team that defeated England for their first-ever Test victory in 1952. Until his death, Gopinath was the oldest living Indian Test cricketer and the second oldest in the world after Australia's Neil Harvey, who is 97. A technically sound and dependable batter, he played a vital role in strengthening India's middle order when the team was developing. He was among the select group of cricketers who had the honour of representing India in its early years on the international stage, contributing significantly to the foundation and growth of Indian cricket. Gopinath played eight Tests and scored 242 runs, including a fifty.
In his Test debut against England in 1951, Gopinath, batting at number eight, made 50 in his first innings and followed with 42 in the second innings at the Brabourne Stadium. But a difficult tour of England the following year limited his chances going forward.
The fifth Test of his debut series was a landmark moment in Indian cricket. It was when India registered their first Test victory, by an innings and eight runs in Chennai. Gopinath made 35 in his only innings in that match.
He made a far bigger impact in domestic cricket. He scored 4,259 runs in 83 matches at an average of 42, with nine centuries. One of his finest knocks was 175 for South Zone against a strong New Zealand side that featured Bert Sutcliffe and John Reid.
Gopinath was the manager of the Indian cricket team for the 1979 World Cup in England.
In a chat with this daily, he had said "India's understanding of ODI cricket was poor and that's why they did not fare well in the 1979 WC." Gopinath who had been a selector in the past was also the manager of the Indian team that played a Test series in England in 1979.
He witnessed Sunil Gavaskar's 221 at the Oval, regarded by many as one of the finest innings played by an Indian on foreign soil.
"Gavaskar's effort was brilliant. A technically sound innings and played under immense pressure. It was a class act by him and perhaps one of the finest innings played by an Indian abroad," Gopinath had recounted to this daily.
Former India captain and former chairman of the national selection committee K Srikkanth lauded Gopinath for being a class cricketer and a good human being. "CD Gopinath was one of the great players Tamil Nadu ever produced and obviously his death was definitely a big loss for us. But he is a very nice man, a very nice person. People need to understand he was the first player to win the Ranji trophy for us. A very lovely person and my heartfelt condolences to his family members," said Srikkanth.
TNCA extends condolences
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) mourned the passing of Gopinath, who once held the Vice President's post of the body frin 1977 to 1986. The TNCA pointed out in a press release that Gopinath was one of the early stalwarts of Indian cricket, proudly representing the nation in Test matches during the 1950s.
"The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) extended its heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and the entire cricketing fraternity during this difficult time." The final rites will be held on Friday afternoon at his residence: No. 2, 1st Cross Street, Karpagam Garden, Adyar, Chennai 600 020.